


All's Well That Ends Well

by Weissnichtwo (LoudenSwain713)



Category: Bandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, I Can't Write Titles, I'm bad at writing in present tense, I'm working on it though, M/M, Marriage Proposal, One Shot, Rejection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2017-06-06
Packaged: 2018-11-09 11:14:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11103420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoudenSwain713/pseuds/Weissnichtwo
Summary: They've discussed marriage before. Tyler always seems off when Josh brings up the topic, but he never objects so Josh thinks he's fine with the idea. But as he stares up at Tyler's impassive face, his confidence flickers.Tyler can't believe Josh did that. Proposed on stage. He's angry. But still, the hurt in Josh's eyes and the tension on stage isn't worth the long-term happiness that Tyler is so sure will come. Maybe he should rethink his decision...





	All's Well That Ends Well

It’s in the middle of their set, before they play _Tear in My Heart_ , that Josh gets up from the drum kit. Tyler throws him a confused glance but otherwise continues on, speaking his usual mix of prepared and improvised words. He doesn't notice as Josh kneels beside him amidst screams from the crowd. He finally looks over and the words catch in his throat as he sees what Josh is holding: a small, black box, opened to show a black band.

Josh smiles up at him, his eyes unnervingly confident. “I’ve known you for 7 years, and I’ve loved you for all of them. Tyler Joseph, will you marry me?”

Tyler stares at him, fearful paralysis etched into his face. He stays silent, warring thoughts racing through his head. On one hand, he could accept. But. But wouldn’t Josh regret asking him? Wouldn’t Josh grow tired of Tyler’s personality, of his depression? And he’s only ever wanted to keep Josh happy, especially in the long run. Tears well in Tyler’s eyes. His hand twitches. “I….I can’t.” The words are simple and quiet, and Josh, who is right next to him, can barely hear him.

Even so, the drummer gets the gist, and his face falls. If Tyler is in anyway conscious of what’s happening, he might find the way Josh collapses in on himself artful. Sad certainly, and terrifying, but artful nonetheless. It’s slow at first, like Josh is clinging to the hope that Tyler is joking. But as the man stays unresponsive, sheer terror, pain, and regret take over. Then rage replaces the weaker emotions.

Josh stands up abruptly, snapping the box shut, sliding it into his pocket, not being able to bring himself to toss it in a fit of anger. Tears spring to his eyes, but he doesn’t say anything. He just scoffs and shakes his head, turning and walking offstage.

Tyler stands in front of the stage, staring at Josh’s receding form, wanting his lips to work for him to call after Josh. But his lips stay stubbornly pressed shut, stuck together with nails of shock and clamps of pride.

Eventually, the venue gets the idea, and the lights go out, plunging the stage into darkness. Cries of shock and outrage and, among the more immature fans, excitement ring out from the crowd. It’s obvious Josh proposed and equally obvious that Tyler rejected him, but what isn’t obvious is the deeper story: why Josh chose this day and this venue to propose, why Tyler refused, why Tyler seemed frozen after Josh walked away, why Josh didn’t explode at Tyler

When the lights come back on to reveal a staff member saying a portion of their tickets will be refunded and that they can leave now, Tyler isn’t anywhere to be seen.

* * *

 

“So,” Tyler starts, shifting back and forth on the stage. “I’m sure most of you are aware of what happened last night in Ohio.” He swallows, ignores the boos directed at him, continues. “I’m going to assure you that nothing has changed. We’ll still play like we normally do.” But his voice cracks on ‘we’, and the crowd knows in that instant that this will be a tough show.

It is.

Josh drops his drumsticks twice, breaks one, and misses his cues for a little less than half of their songs, though only by half a beat or so, usually. Tyler mostly ignores the slip ups, but once he almost loses it when Josh doesn’t come in for a full three measures. He lowers the microphone and shakes his head contemptuously. Tyler looks at Josh, and for a second his indifferent attitude slips and there is raw pain and regret in his eyes. Then Josh is synced with the music and the brief instrumental is over and Tyler has to start singing.

Tyler, on his part, performs marginally better than Josh. He only fumbles with the lyrics on two songs and doesn’t even attempt to jump off the piano. Perhaps that decision is for the best.

To their credit, they do stay for the duration of the concert, and it does appear that they give the show their best effort, though it isn’t much.

 

The next show, the following night, is the same. Tyler makes the same speech he had the first night, to similar results. This time, Josh only drops one drumstick, not breaking any at all.

 

The third night from the proposal, a miracle takes place: they don’t mess up at all. Their smiles are obviously faked, and they move with the passion of mannequins, but they’re there. Tyler says the same speech he’s been saying for the past couple of nights, and he still doesn’t try to jump off the piano. Josh drums on methodically.

 

The fourth night, Tyler doesn’t bother with his speech. Everyone’s heard it by now, so they leave it out. Tyler is more lively, hopping around the stage, putting his usual emotion into the music, even managing to jump from the piano and land safely on the ground. Josh still drums on, his face hidden by a mask of concentration. He’s starting to worry the fans, though, because he’s looking slightly skinnier than usual. Not drastically, certainly not enough to be a health concern, but noticeable enough that some people start to question if he’s eating less.

 

The fifth night is the same as the last.

 

The sixth night, they break. They are in the middle of performing _Tear in My Heart_ when Josh suddenly stops playing and walks off stage. Tyler plays a few more chords before realizing there’s no point in continuing without Josh. The arena quiets once the crowd realizes what’s going on, the stadium filling with the speculative whispers and encouraging shouts of the fans. It’s been several seconds, and Tyler hasn’t moved, his hands still frozen on the keys. His face is emotionless, but then the mask crumbles and Tyler raises a hand to rub over his face. He hasn’t moved away from the microphone, so his sigh is audible throughout the arena. “Josh,” he says, and abruptly stops. He’s struggling to hold back the emotion that is bleeding through, his voice tearful and broken. Gulping lungfuls of fresh air, he starts again. His voice is steadier this time. “Josh, could you come out here for a minute?”

The arena’s fallen mostly silent, and the whole crowd waits with baited breath to see what will happen. Eventually, after nearly twenty agonizing seconds, Josh walks from the wings to center stage, his eyes red. “What?” he asks quietly, brokenly.

Tyler shakes his head. “I was wrong. A week ago, you asked me a question that I was too scared to answer. I was scared you would get tired of me, that you would regret asking to spend the rest of our lives together. But Josh-” Tyler’s voice breaks, and suddenly he’s sobbing. “Josh, I am hopelessly, irrevocably in love with you. And this past week, I realized how much my life would _suck_ if you weren’t in it. In fact, I probably wouldn't even be alive.” He chuckles and stands up, moves in front of the piano, wipes away tears, gets on one knee. Josh just watches him, awe written all over his face. “I was stupid last week, when you asked me to marry you. I should’ve been ecstatic, and I was. But I was also scared and surprised, and I just froze. But I’m hoping I can make it up to. Joshua Dun, will you do me the honor of becoming my husband?”

Josh just stares at him, tears running down his cheeks. He doesn’t speak. Instead, he lifts Tyler to his feet, pulling him into a hug. The two men stand on the stage, in full view of the whole stadium, clinging to each other. Josh lets go of Tyler reluctantly, kissing him gently before they fully separate.

The whole arena is filled with screams of disbelief and excitement and adoration for the couple.

“Um…” Tyler starts, pausing to let the volume die some, and then giggling because of the adrenaline that’s coursing through his body. “This was kind of last minute, so I, uh, don’t really have a ring. Sorry,”

The crowd laughs, somehow, but Josh does too, so it’s ok.

“That’s uh, that’s alright, Ty,” Josh responds, leaning over to whisper something in his ear. Tyler thinks about for a second and then nods.

He returns to the microphone.

“I think y’all know this one.”

Tyler returns to his piano and Josh to his drums. Tyler glances at Josh as if to double check that Josh is indeed ok, and Josh sends a reassuring smile in response. Tyler takes a deep breath and presses the keys to form a chord. “I know where you stand, silent in the trees…”

 

The fans aren’t expecting them to go into the crowd because they haven’t since before the proposal and they’re engaged now, so it wouldn’t be shocking if they just ended the show. But as the end of the song nears, Tyler and Josh turn to look at each other and nod at the staff in front of the stage. Then the drums and the boards are being entrusted to the fans, and, with one final shared look of concern and reassurance, the band is being held up by the crowd.

Tyler is more unbalanced than usual, and he nearly topples before a few fans push him back up. He mouths a few words of thanks and stands to count the two of them off. He looks across and notices that Josh is standing too, that they’re facing each other, their gazes locked. Tyler smiles, an all-consuming grin twisting his face, and he raises his arms above his head, clapping his drumsticks together. He notes, with no small sense of relief, that Josh is mirroring his expression.

Soon, the two are beating the drums, surrounded by shouts and applause and confetti. They climb back down to ground level, meet in the middle of the stage, drape their arms around each other tighter than usual, bow. They linger for a moment, looking out at the world they’ve created, and their hands link together. “We’re Twenty One Pilots and so are you! Thank you!” Tyler calls into the microphone, and the couple walks offstage to the praise of their fans.


End file.
